


Afghanistan or Helping a friend

by SDAMm



Category: The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: Afghanistan, Cliffhangers, Comfort Later, Depression, Emotional Hurt, Fights, First Dates, Flashbacks, Gen, Hospitals, Missions, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder - PTSD, Showers, Tony Stark Has Issues, Water, Waterboarding, Work In Progress, four months after afghanistan
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-04-15
Updated: 2019-04-27
Packaged: 2020-01-14 15:57:39
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 3
Words: 6,513
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18479524
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SDAMm/pseuds/SDAMm
Summary: how Tony deals with what happened in that cave and how you help him with those memories





	1. the dreams

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I reviewed the chapters and corrected my mistakes, I hope you have fun ;-)

_**Chapter 1** _

 

You remember how Tony used to be, the old Tony. If you think about it, you actually – with all the problems this brings – like the new Tony a lot better. He is more down to earth, more realistic in his insane fantasies about the newest inventions he has in mind, he is just more – well – more normal. He was that playboy. That man all the women in town, well in L.A., had a crush on. He was always smiling into the next camera, actually, even if he’d never admit it, he loved the paparazzi. A new week, a new girl in the arm and a and a new car key in the hands. That was the old Tony, at least the old “public” Tony.

You knew him better. He was always full of energy, full of ideas. That’s why you immediately liked him so much. You met him in an upscale club, a place where you definitely didn’t belong. For once, because of your obvious British accent in L.A. and because you really didn’t want to meet someone new. A friend dragged you there, you don’t even remember who it was. It just didn’t feel right. Then you saw Tony. They always say that, when they met their “VIP”, they didn’t even recognise them/ didn’t know them. The normal people that have a relationship with a celebrity. But that is usually wrong, they just don’t want to be like all the other fans.

But you knew who he was. Well, everybody in L.A. knows Tony Stark. He had picked up two girls in the club, they seemed to be quite drunk, and young. You thought about your life, as you looked at them. They did look as if they belonged there as if they grew up in upscale clubs. You looked down at yourself, wearing some clothes that your friend had picked, which you’d never even consider buying, but here you are. Looking at Tony Stark and thinking if you will ever be at least a tiny bit like him. He was some kind of an idol to you, at least you admired his inventions, a lot more than his lifestyle. A little later the girls had left for the toilet. You caught his gaze, fixed upon you as some bloke tried to pick you up with really bad lines. As Tony made eye contact again you mouthed “HELP!” and he immediately rescued you from your “appendage”.

That’s how you met Tony Stark. As you shared a lot of interest, you became friends, close friends, very fast.

Then there was Afghanistan. You never liked the idea of him going there, but when you heard what happened… You were, worried is not strong enough to describe what you felt. It was hard, for you it was nearly too hard, to hope, to pray, that he will come back. And he did, he did come back. You always knew that he was brilliant, but this took the word “inventive” to a whole new level. You were so happy when he finally arrived home. You didn’t care about the whole “Welcome back!” party. Tony was, still is, one of your best friends and nearly losing him nearly killed you. So, you celebrated, and you also celebrated when he joined the Avengers. There were many celebrations in the beginning. No parties with a lot of girls in Bikinis, no, just normal barbecues or movie nights, but for you, those were celebrations of friendship and family. And in retrospective, you know how cheesy that just sounded and yet you cannot find other words for it.

And here you sit, four months after he returned. An urgent meeting with Tony, but there is nobody else around. Just you and the shaggy cat of the café at which you meet.

“Ah Tony, there you are.”, you say,” I was already worried that you forgot your URGENT meeting!”

“(Y/N) I am so sorry, the stupid new cleaning lady asked so many questions, I mean who hires someone, who can not even use a hoover properly???”

“If I recall that correctly, you hired her personally…”

“Oh, you changed sites too, come on, Pepper also said that,” Tony said with an offended snort.

“And as we know,” You raise an eyebrow as you look at him.

“Pepper is always correct.” He mutters.

“So, what is so urgent Tony, I hope it is not just the housecleaner. I have work to do.”

“I know, but you are the only one I can turn to…” he said, sadness visible all over his face.

“Spill it, Tony. You know that you can tell me everything.” You sound more worried as you intended.

“Relax, I am not like, dying or something. Just some minor problems, that I am sure we can fix.”

“Tony, now!”

“Ok, but promise to keep it a secret, this could ruin me.” Then he mutters something that sounds like: “more than it already does…”

You just raise your eyebrow to signalise him, that he should finally begin to talk. Then he lowers his voice and starts: “I keep having those dreams. Nightmares. It started a month ago, at first, I didn’t have them frequently and it didn’t bother me. I just went down to the lab and started working. I wasn’t worried, because well I used to have nightmares as a kid, but now…”

“I noticed that your inventions developed faster lately, but what made you think, that those dreams are a problem, I mean why did you decide to tell me what’s up?” You are quite worried and already have an idea, what his problem might be, but you don’t really want to believe, that this could happen to Tony.

“Well, they appear more often now. In fact, I had four of them in the last week.” He isn’t looking at you, rather he stares at his shoes.

“I know that you have already made up your mind about this. And I also know that you don’t want to hear this, but we both have an idea what this is. Tony you have PTSD, and probably a rather severe form.”

“But (Y/N), this can’t be, I mean I wasn’t in the army, I never fought in a war. No, but you were in Afghanistan. I had a tough time worrying about you, Tony. But what happened there is definitely enough of a trauma to cause PTSD.” You grab your phone from the table and google PTSD, you open the Wikipedia article and read out the DSM-5 list of symptoms.

“A. traumatic event, check. B. reliving the trauma for example nightmares, check. C. avoidance, do you avoid situations correlating with your memories?”

“Well, I do try to avoid the shower and wash in more – controlled – situations.” He says, still avoiding to look into your eyes.

“Ok, so C. is positive too. D. negative change in thoughts and mood, from my point of view, you do blame more and more things on yourself… so that one is positive. E. change in agitation and responsiveness, well, you do have a bad temper as of lately, you seem to get angry faster than before, so this means we can tick that one too. So if we are going to believe Wikipedia, you definitely have PTSD.”

“(Y/N), look at me, I am not crazy, just a little upset,” Tony says, sounding worried.

“Tony, don’t you think it would be good to see a doctor, a psychologist?”

“No, that is never going to happen (Y/N)” he looks directly into your eyes, for the first time of your conversation. “I’ll do everything you suggest, but I can not go to a psychologist, the paparazzi follow me everywhere, this would ruin my reputation, no it would ruin my whole life.”

“I am sure we can find a temporary solution, but on long terms, this is the only possibility to deal with a problem like this, and I think it is the safest and it can really help you.” You say with a firm voice.

“As I said, I will not go to a brain doctor, I’ll take your temporary solution.”

“Ok Tony, but if I want to help you it would be good if I knew a little bit more. Would you describe your dreams, please!”

“If I have to, but please don’t laugh.” You can hear the despair in his voice.

“I would never do so, and you know that Tony, I am here for you, I am your friend, that’s my job, to support you in bad times.” “It is always the same one,” Tony says as he looks up.

“What?”

His voice is a little shaky as he speaks. “I have the same dream, nearly every fucking night. I wake up in a dark cave and I’m tied up at arms and legs. Underneath my torn T-shirt I can feel a cold, rough stone. My feet are hanging in the air because the cold chains are too short. Two men are standing about five feet away. I can hear them talking Dari, I didn’t even know the language until I googled it when I was back at home. But now I always recognise it. They turn around and I can see them, it feels like they are somehow familiar, yet always strangers. They are both dirty and very ugly.”

He shivers as he recalls their looks.

“One of them is taller, he limps, and half of the teeth are missing. I see him grinning at me and it is really disgusting. Half of his face is completely disfigured maybe by a bomb, grenade or something like that. It was probably even a bomb from Stark Industries. The other one is smaller, he has the same wounds on his hands, and he is nearly a boy at least he doesn't seem to be older than 18. The boy looks shy and scared as if he doesn’t like what he is going to do. As I said the older one always grins when he sees that I am awake. Then I start to look around the room, or better the cave. Next to the desk they are standing in front of, I can see a bucket with a wet cloth. I always try to free myself. The chains really hurt at my ankles and they cut into the flesh of my wrists when I try to open them somehow. Then the taller bloke laughs at me and the boy starts to imitate it, failing horribly. They start to interrogate me in their language, but I can never understand what they say, I even tried to learn the language, but still, it always remains a secret until later. I try to ask what they want, but the men don’t seem to understand English. Then the taller one bows over me and grins in my face. I can smell his utterly bad breath and always nearly vomit. He just reaches behind himself and puts the towel on my face. I can’t breathe and I feel like I am drowning. There is water everywhere.”

Tony starts crying silently. While he was talking you had changed the chairs and sit next to him now. You hug him tightly and he tries to calm down. Then he starts talking again, his voice is cracking and he can barely bring out any words.

“Then I can feel myself fading, but when I wake up again, I am still on that damn stone. And when I have realised where I am, the older one is already leaning over me and ask me the same things, in the same fucking language. I never answer the second time. Then he puts the cloth over my face again… The whole thing repeats itself twice more. Then a third man enters the cave, first I can only hear him because my vision is already blurred, but I can see that he definitely is not as ugly as the others. He seems to be a businessman. He wears a black suit with a silky red tie. He asks me something in English, but I can’t understand him, because I am too exhausted. While I am fading I can hear questions, they are always the same, but they don’t seem to come from one source, but they are surrounding me. What did you do? You killed us all. What did you think your weapons are being used for? War is War and it is ugly. I want you to feel what I felt, that’s what that man says before I am fading. After that, I shoot up in my own bed, completely sweaty. Of course, I really don’t want to go back to sleep again, and that’s why I go down into the lab.”

“Wow, that’s… Did that really happen?” You ask and suddenly feel really sad, knowing that the time in Afghanistan must have been a lot harder for him than you expected.

“I think so, but I am not sure, I don’t remember a lot about my time there, not even why… I don’t know, why everything.” The way he looked at you broke your heart. Tony had so much sadness, grief and sorrow in his eyes, it looked like even the last few sparks of hope had left him.

“Hey, Tony”, you say, patting his arm, ”everything will be alright, we can do that, together.”

“Thank you so much for your help, (Y/N)! Let’s go home, we can maybe watch a movie or something like that?”

“Of course,” you say, “I can also sleep at your place if that helps.”

“That would be amazing!” Tony said and you can make out a hint of a smile on his lips.

In the next week, you spend almost all your time with Tony, talking, sleeping, playing cards, watching stand-up comedy, working in his lab…

One day, Tony had a particularly bad night. You went to sleep as usual, and this time it didn’t even take him very long to fall asleep. But then you hear him screaming, you shoot up in the bed and turn around to Tony. He is still asleep, but constantly turning and tossing, his blankets have already fallen off the bed. As you try to wake him up, you catch a glimpse at the alarm clock, 2.37 am, not bad, as he had usually woken up at 1 am.

“Tony, Tony, come on, wake up! It’s just a dream, you are safe, I am here!” You shake him and repeat yourself until he wakes up a minute later. But he isn’t paralysed by the shock as usually. No, he shoots up and presses you against the closest wall. He tries to choke you, one hand closing firmly around your throat. You hit his arms and scream his name. It hurts, a lot. But seconds later he lets you go. He must have really woken up. Tony looks at you utterly shocked as he realises what he had just done.

“Oh my god, (Y/N), are you ok?! I didn’t mean to hurt you. I am so, so sorry! I thought you were trying to kill me…” He apologises a thousand times and yet he looks very confused.

“It is ok Tony. Nothing happened! Hey, what’s up, you look a little disorientated.”

“That never happened before… what is different today? (Y/N) you have to leave, now!”

“But why Tony, I am fine.”

“No, you are not,” he screams at you, then he breaks out into tears, “I am a danger to you. Please leave, I don’t want to hurt you again!"

 


	2. the mission

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If you have any wishes for the last chapter just leave a comment, I'll check in more frequently in the next time. for other notes and thoughts about my writing process so far see End Notes.
> 
> HAVE FUN! ;-)

**Chapter 2**

 

You really hadn’t seen the extent of his problem yet. It is – well – yeah, it is just too big for the two of you. You stare into the mirror in your small bathroom. Two fingers tracing the bruises he had left on your throat. He was right, to some point. You don’t want him to hurt you again, but honestly; you really, really don’t care. You will do everything on earth to help him; to help Tony Stark. You just don’t really know how.

You sit down in front of your desk, now wearing your favourite scarf and drinking a cup of tea. You unlock your laptop, start some music on Spotify and open Google. After some thinking, you also come across other incidents, except for the nightmares. You remember some occasions, where he seemed to be absent-minded, and he only reacted after you shook him. It always happens after anything related to dreaming or Arabic language, for example, related objects, actions or just a word in a conversation or on the news. In retrospective, he always looked frightened after you had “woken” him up. Those could have been flashbacks, and you also remember some situations where he flinched when a tap was turned on. You glance at the clock, it is around 4 am, you shortly consider the possibility of going to bed, but then, you would probably just be laying around, thinking and finally return to the desk. So, you decide to skip that step and start your research. “P – T – S – D”, you have heard so much about that disorder, and yet you find yourself here, knowing basically nothing about it. After a hell lot of research, which means online books, articles, websites, and sadly also some web-forums, you know enough to be sure of one thing. Tony definitely has PTSD and the only option you have is going to a psychologist or something like that.

After a bit more research you even found a qualified doctor. He works in an army hospital and has a lot of patients from Afghanistan, Pakistan and Syria. He seemed like the right man for the job, that Doctor Dean Matthews. His office is even in Manhattan. As you were about to call Tony the doorbell rang. You took a glimpse at your watch, at 5.14 am. Who’d be up that early on a Saturday?

“Tony!” You were actually surprised to find him standing in front of your old, white flat door, even if it was quite reasonable considering the time and the recent events.

“Look (Y/N), I am really sorry,” he said while staring at your neck, knowing what was underneath your woolly scarf, “but can I maybe come in? Please!?”

“Of course, come on in, do you want a coffee or a tea. I think I also ha-“

He interrupted you while staring at your laptop. All your research is nicely written down in a file called “helping a friend”. “I am sorry about the, no actually about all incidents that might have occurred in the last week. And I really appreciate your help, thank you so much (Y/N)! To be honest, I thought about what just happened, since you left the house. I think you are right, I do need professional help, and I see that we had the same thought.” He says while pointing at the screen. “Do you think he is good, that Doctor Matthews?”

“Actually Tony, there is only one way to find out.” You shrug. “Why don’t we call him later and see if he has time for you. I am sure we can find a way to circumvent the paparazzi, together with him.”

“I think that’s a great idea.” He hugs you tightly, extremely tightly. But you don’t mind, you are happy to have a minute with the real Tony. The one, that hasn’t got that heavy burdens to carry. “Let me take a look at you.”

You look deep into his eyes. “It’s ok Tony, it is not your fault!”

“Please (Y/N), let me see what I did.” You lift your scarf slowly, reluctantly. “Oh my, fuck me! I am so-“

“Hey, sit down, it is fine. I knew that it would be a little dangerous, but I also knew that you couldn’t do – that.”

“How about I make some pancakes and we’ll just see what the day brings.” He said and took off to the kitchen. The pancakes were amazing, as always. Tony is one of the best cooks you know. And you both had a good and relaxed time, just having a nice talk.

“Tony, I know it might be difficult, but if you need a hot shower after this night, I wouldn’t mind.”

“I am not sure, the last time I couldn’t stand it longer than a minute. It brings back bad memories.”

“I will be there with you. It’s going to be ok!” You go into the bathroom with him. Before you turn on the water, you turn back to him. He is standing on the other side of his room, wearing nothing but his briefs. He looks a little frightened. “Do you want to start?” Tony nods, not making any steps towards the shower. You turn on the shower and glance over your shoulder. After he doesn’t respond to your questions, you notice it. He must be having another flashback, staring at the shower wide-eyed. You turn around and shake him, telling him that everything will be alright until he is looking at you. “A flashback?” You ask, pulling him into a hug.

“Yes, but now it is ok. I want to try it!” He steps forward and holds a hand under the shower. You both watch the water slowly running down his hand. Then a foot follows. He starts shivering a little. Then the other hand. “(Y/N) can you come with me, please?!?” You step into the shower past him, not caring about being fully dressed. You hold out a hand and he takes it. He steps into the shower and hugs you. You turn off the water. “I made it (Y/N), I made it.” He is smiling at you and pulling you into yet another hug.

“Great, that’s amazing. Do you want to try turning it on by yourself again?”

“I’d rather not. Let’s just get dry and celebrate that I was under the shower for ten seconds.”

“I love celebrations!” You say and grab two towels, handing one over to Tony. After you both changed into dry clothes, you meet each other in the kitchen.

“How about a movie?” He takes off to the couch, letting himself fall onto it. “I want to watch MAMA MIA!”

“Oh really, you know that it is – not my favourite.”

“Please, (Y/N)! Please, please, please! Per favore!”

“Uh, ok. But this is really the last time I watch that damn movie!”

After the movie ended, you check the opening hours of the doctor. You give him a call and Tony shortly explains why he needs an appointment. There is something free in the afternoon, and Tony happily hangs up.

You were standing in front of the entrance, looking around if anyone might have followed you or was taking pictures, while Tony was staring at his phone. As nobody was in the street anymore, you both stepped inside. The lady at the desk greeted you nicely and checked the computer for the appointment. Then she directed you to the waiting area and told Tony and you to take a seat. Only a couple of minutes later a doctor appeared, introducing himself as Doctor Matthews, shaking Tony’s hand. He turned towards you and said that the appointment would take about an hour and you could wait there until they are ready.

“No, could (Y/N) come inside with me, Doctor?”

“Well, if you want to, but there might be some rather intimate questions.”

“That’s alright for me,” Tony said. The doctor nodded and leads you into the room. He sits down in an armchair and you do so too. After some general questions about when it started and what he went through in Afghanistan, he asks Tony what had changed in his behaviour in comparison to a year ago. Tony says that he is getting more and more anxious and that he doesn’t go out that much anymore. He also talks about thoughts and actions, which the doctor later identifies as depressive episodes. He noticed that he seems to slowly lose faith in mankind. Tony also realised that he does a lot of thoughtless actions during missions, more than two months ago. He also gets mad about small things faster than usual and he always flinches when he hears water. Then they start talking about war. Tony says that he thinks, that there will always be war, and that he still feels good about not producing weapons anymore. Doctor Matthews says that Tony was right. He has PTSD and the depressions are a side effect, called comorbidity. He says, that PTSD is a disorder which can be treated and that after some time and with a lot of patience, everything will be better again. He also prescribes Tony a special kind of pill, you forgot the name. They should prevent flashbacks and depressions. You leave the office and Tony says: “Now everything will get better. It will be ok.” He smiles at you and he finally really seems to be happy, as if the burden on his shoulders just got a little smaller.

A press conference. About a month after the first consultation of Doctor Matthews, Tony has a big conference about some big, new invention of Stark Industries. The hall is full, a lot more people than expected. The whole event goes really good until shortly before the end. There is a big bang, everybody turns around, but nothing can be seen. You immediately turn towards Tony, he is standing on the stage, frozen and wide-eyed. You instantly recognise that he has a flashback. You drag him from the stage and tell Pepper, that she should end the conference. On your way to the changing room, Tony wakes up.

“Fuck, (Y/N) what happened???”

“There was a loud bang, you had a flashback.” You reach the room and sit down on the couch. “I thought those pills the doctor gave you should prevent that exactly this happens!?”

“Yeah, about them…” Tony scratches his neck.

“What? Are you insane, why don’t you take your pills, they should help you!”

“I always feel sick when I take them, I never really have energy and – like you know.”

“Tony! Would you PLEASE take your pills again, I don’t think you want something like that to happen another time? Why don’t you just ask Doctor Matthews if you can change the dose or something? Maybe he has an idea, that you don’t always feel sick.”

“Ok, I’ll talk to him!” He looks at you, “Sorry that I cause so much trouble.”

“It’s alright Tony. I promised to help you. And the doctor said we’d need patience.”

About a week later, he is on a mission again. Steve, Natasha, Bruce and Tony are trying to destroy a small criminal organisation in New York. Those thieves had somehow gotten their hands on a relict from Asgard, a sword initially made for Thor. Now they are robbing one store after another. But those criminals seemed to know how to use the Asgardian object. They were a lot stronger than Tony had thought. Their base was in a small house close to the East River. That’s why one direct hit with the sword actually destroyed his suit, it pushed Tony out, sending him straight into the River. Natasha and Bruce, who had witnessed the incident, tried to reach him over the comm. But Tony couldn’t respond. He was unconscious. He wakes up as he hits the water. Tony instantly starts to panic. He was drowning and couldn’t reach the surface, even if it was just half a metre above him. He struggled to get up, kicking himself upwards. He reached the surface, trying to stay above the water level. But he can’t. Suddenly he has a flashback. He instantly freezes, not doing anything. Inside he is panicking, struggling to stay above the water, but his legs and arms just don’t respond. He starts drowning again. As he looks upwards, he sees the surface disappearing fast. He knows that he will drown if he won’t start moving soon, but he just can’t, his limbs are paralysed. He wants to breathe, but he knows that he can’t. Then he fades.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> so far, this has been one of my favourite works. it is really a hard topic and I also have my struggles staying gender-neutral for the reader. But I really love writing this story. It takes a lot more time than I thought, but I also want it to be good. I don't quite know when the last chapter will come. Probably within the next ten days, but I do have other things to do too :-(  
> To be honest, I thought the whole story would only have the length of the first chapter, but well, here we are, I also initially thought the last chapter and this one would be 1, but I was so happy about chapter 1 that I decided to publish it earlier.


	3. getting better

**Chapter 3**

“TONY, TONY, ARE YOU ALRIGHT? TONY, ANSWER ME NOW! TONY, PLEASE!” Natasha screamed into the comm.

“What happened Nat?” Steve asked. He was the only one not fighting inside of the base.

“Tony – they – he – I don’t know!?” She stammered.

“What happened, where is he?” Steve sounded worried.

“They blew him into the East River and the suit is ruined. Get him, Rogers, now!” Fury was communicating with them from the base. He had seen everything through the cameras on Tony’s suit.

“I’m on my way. It won’t take long; he’ll be safe in a minute!” Steve said and starts running towards the river. As he arrives, he sees Tony’s hands disappearing under the water. The soldier puts down his shield and jumps into the water, quick strides taking him to the place, where he last saw Tony. He takes a deep breath and starts diving. The weather wasn’t very good today and it got darker fast. But then he saw Tony, about five metres below him to his left. He is unconscious. Steve dives down and grabs him under his arms. Tony is heavier than he expected, because of his clothes and his lifeless body. He pulls him up and takes him to the surface, quickly swimming to the pier. He picks him up and lays him onto the wood. As the others run towards him, Steve looks for Tony’s pulse, but there is none. He starts CPR and tells Natasha to call an ambulance. He calls his name, not wanting to let go of him as the ambulance arrives. They take him to the closest hospital and the team runs to the cars, following them.

He slowly opens his eyes, everything around him is white. Tony tries to turn his head, looking around. But the hammering pain stops him. “Ow, why does that hurt so much?!”

“Ah (Y/N), I think he is awake.” Tony hears somebody saying. Then two people approach him.

“I thought we’d lose you!” You say, holding Tony’s hand. His vision seems to have cleared, as he finally recognises you.

“(Y/N), Steve, what are you doing – we doing here? And where the hell are we?!”

“Calm down Tony,” Steve’s voice is soft as he strokes Tony’s hair, “we are in a hospital. I rescued you from the river after the thieves attacked you with the sword, do you remember?”

“I do, but my head hurts. What happened after I flew out of that building?”

“Your suit was too damaged, and it ejected you. You landed in the East River and drowned. I was close by and pulled you out, but you weren’t breathing! They – I – had to reanimate you.” Steve responded. “I thought you can swim Tony, what happened?”

Tony gives you a worried look. Then he turns to Steve. “I can swim, but I don’t know. Something pulled me down!”

“Tony don’t fuck with me! There was nothing there! What happened?”, despite his clearly visible annoyance, Steve’s voice remains utterly soft and calm. A characteristic you really like on Steve.

“Okay, okay, listen. But please don’t tell anybody. I have got enough problems just yet.”

“You know you can trust me, Tony. I am listening.”

“I have PTSD, especially in connection with water. Since Afghanistan. I get flashbacks, and I have nightmares, together with depressions. Really cracked the jackpot… But I have a doctor, and I hope that my situation will improve some time.” Tony tries to avoid Steve’s eyes.

“Hey, Tony. That’s ok. I had – have my troubles too since that damn war. But believe me, it gets better. I know that. Trust me I will help you with your problem, that’s what friends are there for. Everything will be alright Tony, you’ll see.” Steve is holding his hand now.

Tony turns his head to look at you and Steve. “Thank you, thank you both so very much.” He smiles and falls asleep again.

Steve pats his hand again. Then he turns around and returns to his chair. “(Y/N),” he says, calm and quiet, cautious to not wake Tony up, “when did he tell you? You didn’t seem surprised at all, so I figured you already know.”

“A couple of weeks ago.” You answered quietly.

“How is he doing? I know it is tough and exhausting, but is there any progress?”

“Well not at first, because stubborn as he is, he didn’t want to see a doctor. But since I convinced him that this is a promising idea, he seems to get more sleep. I think Tony has fewer nightmares and he finally takes his pills regularly.”

“That’s good. Improvement is hard at first. Especially if you don’t see it, but trust me, it is there. You just have to fight and never give up. And I know that it is hard in the beginning – no actually all the time. But it will get better someday, would you tell him that, please?”

“Why don’t you do it yourself? I mean he told you and that means he trusts you. He knows that you can help him.”

A week later Tony invites you and Steve over to his house. When you arrive, Steve is already there, punctual as always. Tony leads you into the living room and tells you to sit down while he gets the coffee. He returns with probably the biggest mugs you have ever seen and sits down with you. Tony sits down on the couch next to Steve.

“So how are your meetings with that doctor going?” Steve askes.

“Well, it’s ok. I am making progress, but slowly, really slowly.” Tony answered while staring into is coffee.

“That’s alright Tony,” you say, ”he said that it might take a while.”

“I know, I know, but it’s frustrating. Very. I am really trying, but sometimes it just gets too much. The work in the shop, the house, Stark industries…”

“You know, if you want to, I could help you around the house. I don’t know much about engineering, but I can help you there.”

“Really Steve, that would be amazing!” Tony looked so excited. I made you so happy, to see him smiling again. You really admired Steve for offering his help. You hoped that it would finally support Tony to get better.

Steve helped Tony a lot. In the next weeks, he spends more and more time with Tony and they even worked together on new projects. Steve helps him around the house, for example washing dishes or doing the laundry. But he also cooks a lot. He once told you that it made him sick how Tony only rarely eats at all and then only pizza. He says that it helped him a lot to eat regularly and good food, which is why he started cooking in first place. Tony really appreciated all the great food, even if he rarely said it. But Steve and you both knew, whenever he smiled at the smell coming from the kitchen or when Steve shoved him out of the shop to the dining table. He had even bought some new materials for the kitchen as a surprise to Steve.

Tony offered him the guest bedroom to stay when it got late. Steve helped him through the nightmares, which got less and less, and sometimes fell asleep next to him. Maybe not only sometimes but that’s what he told you. It doesn’t really matter to you anyways, because it makes Tony happy and he feels better, which is all you care about.

After some time, he seemed to be at Tony’s place more often than in his own apartment. That’s why Tony offered him to move in. Steve eventually agreed and got his own bedroom in Tony’s ridiculously big house. You loved how Steve helped him to get through the hard times and was also there when Tony was feeling fine. The three of you grew very close over the next weeks, and months.

Over the next few months, you notice how Tony gets better and better every day. He is going out more often and isn’t always scared. He can shower again, without any help or someone being in the bathroom with him. Last week he told you that he took a shower, just because he wanted to, and that he was in there for 20 minutes. He smiled so bright; you couldn’t have been prouder. Tony can hold press conferences again without being a complete mess. He usually gets normal amounts of sleep, which is mainly because of Steve, who drags him out of the shop when it is necessary. The depressions are better, and he finally takes his pills regularly. Tony doesn’t drink that much anymore. He even enjoys all sorts of movies again. He used to flinch whenever something exploded or there was a dark cave. He even loves Batman now. All three of you know, that there is still a long way ahead of you, but even Tony, one might not believe it, has hope now; hope that he will be having a normal life sometime.

Tony had called you earlier today. At 5 am in the morning! Who is already awake at that time, you thought. He was really excited and said he needs to tell you something as soon as possible. Nevertheless, he didn’t want to say anything on the phone, which is because you agreed to meet him. So here you are, sitting in the same café as about a year ago. It was 9 in the morning and there were not many people sitting around. The shaggy cat strolled around you as you waited for Tony to arrive. He was, as always, late. You wondered how that was even possible, with all the fast cars he had. But before you could find an answer to that, you heard a familiar voice calling your name.

“(Y/N), there you are!”

“You are late Tony, half an hour. I thought this was important.”

“I know, I am sorry, but it really is important.”

“Spill it Stark, I have work to do!” You said laughing, the irony clearly visible on your face. He sat down and smiled at you.

“(Y/N), believe me, or not, but I, Tony Stark, have got a date!” He sounded more excited than on the phone if that was possible.

“Really, you gotta be kidding?”

“Nope, I am serious, like a thousand per cent.”

“Well from you that must mean something. I am so happy for you, Tony! But now Stark, who is it that makes you so excited, and do I know that person?” You raise an eyebrow, while you look directly into his brown eyes, which seemed to be glowing in the light.

“Well, you know (Y/N) it is – “

 

 

 


End file.
